The Navy has developed onboard water treatment systems that can be implemented in military and non-military applications. One such treatment system is the ceramic membrane ultrafiltration oily waste membrane system. These systems are very effective and have been shown to produce an effluent that has an oil concentration consistently below 15 ppm.
The filtering member/membrane requires frequent replacement as routine maintenance. Replacement membranes are typically packaged and shipped to the fleets for installation. The packaging, shipping, and installation of typically large, expensive, heavy, and brittle ceramic filtration membranes can cause cracking in the membrane. When installed, the membrane is a vital part of the functioning waste water treatment system. If a membrane is cracked or a seal is compromised the entire system fails. Untreated water may pass through a crack in the membrane or via a defective membrane seal, allowing waste laden water to be released to the clean water side of the system. A method and arrangement for determining the membrane integrity before commissioning the membrane with waste water is desired. Additionally, an in situ arrangement for determining the integrity is desired.